Twins born in lockdown given awkward virus names

With few things escaping the recent pandemic - our homes, our lives and workplaces have all been turned upside down - it seems baby names couldn't escape the coronavirus unscathed either.

According to reports, a couple in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh have named their newborn twins "Corona" and "Covid" and what has the world come to?

"I was blessed with the twins - a boy and a girl - in the early hours on March 27," their mother told reporters.

Born on March 27 at BR Ambedkar Memorial Hospital in Raipur, Central India, the twins arrived during a nationwide lockdown that began on March 24.

The couple said the names would serve as a poignant reminder of the hardships they faced.

"The delivery happened after facing several difficulties and therefore, my husband and I wanted to make the day memorable," Preeti Verma, the 27-old mother of the fraternal twins, told news agency Press Trust of India.

Newborn twins – a boy and a girl – have been named in honour of the coronavirus pandemic. Picture: iStock

The babies' mother said the couple had no assistance during the birth, as their family members remained confined due to the lockdown. Instead, her husband rushed her to the hospital on a motorcycle.

"With vehicular movement stopped, we both made it to the hospital somehow late at night after a lot of suffering. Since the deliveries happened after such difficulties, we wanted the names to be memorable and unique," she said, hinting that the hospital staff had suggested the names.

Preeti ultimately arrived at the hospital and gave birth via caesarean section.

"Besides, these names are beautiful in their own, with Corona being Latin for crown," added Vinay Verma, the father. "Also, we want the fear associated with these names to end and the public to focus on sanitation and hygiene."

News of these unique names comes after similar reports surfaced recently.

One Twitter user claimed she'd heard of a Filipino woman who'd given birth on March 15 and named her baby … Covid Bryant.

Yes, she actually tried to sum up two of the most tragic events we've seen so far in 2020.

The post quickly gained upwards of 50,000 reactions and just under 6000 comments.

While the reports weren't confirmed, Twitter users couldn't get enough and responded in kind with countless memes.

Saw a message where one of the maid’s daughters gave birth last March 15 (start of the lockdown) & you’ll never guess what they named their NEWBORN CHILD.......